November 18, 2004

WRITERS AT PLAY

Johnson's sacking as a Conservative Party frontbencher for allegedly lying to his party leader, Michael Howard, about the affair, followed earlier revelations about The Spectator's (married) publisher, Kimberly Fortier, having a three-year affair with the Home Secretary David Blunkett, and its (married) associate editor, Rod Liddle, having an affair with a junior Spectator staffer, Alicia Munckton.

The once venerable magazine is now widely referred to as "The Sextator".

Posted by Tim Blair at November 18, 2004 11:03 AM

Comments

Sounds like the only spectator was the magazine itself.
British Conservatives really are a breed apart - women with names like Petronella and Allegra. And how about a guy named Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson.
And I always thought British comedies made this kind of stuff up.

I think the new online version of the Spekkie is much better. They've also improved it by getting rid of the tedious Taki and replacing his column with one by Joan Collins who is surprsingly literate and amusing (not just a bloated shoulder pad).

Now if the magazine could only come out from under the carapace of its adolscent anti-Americanism it'd be an even better read.

The really telling thing about the Tories is that their most successful politician in recent times was a grocer's daughter. Can't see their lot improving as long as their focus is on bonking girls with names like Myfwanny Farquhar-Farquharson and squandering daddy's money.

Compare and contrast with the 'typical' US conservative, usually regarded as salt-of-the-earth types whose conservatism has a moral and philosophical basis.

Perhaps the Conservative Party has simply decided to put an end to these disgusting exhibitions of rampant heterosexuality.Same gender coupling and/or flirtations with alternative species are surely preferable.

After Bush won, I sent a letter to the Spectator suggesting that Max Hastins could "osculate my hirsute, calypigious American posterior." I had no idea I was dealing with people who would treat that as a literal request.